A Promise Kept. Barbara Jeffs

any attention.

      He was gazing at nothing, obviously deep in thought, and by his expression those thoughts were not pleasant.

      “Dominic?” she queried uncertainly, and he shook his head to clear it of his thoughts, his eyes slowly focusing on her concerned features.

      “Your clothes in the wardrobe at Solitaire.” He waited until she raised her right eyebrow enquiringly then asked. “Would you wear any of them today?”

      Rebecca thought about that, picturing all the designer clothes he had purchased for her, most of which she had not liked or wanted, and finally shook her head no.

      No of course not, Dominic sighed bitterly. When he thought back to their shopping trips now he could clearly see that each time she had modeled a dress or a gown in front of him, if he had voiced his approval of it then she had selected that garment.

      He ran his hands through his hair, shocked by what he was discovering about their life together.

      “Why did you wear them during our marriage if you didn’t like them?”

      “I had to.”

      Rebecca could not understand why he was so puzzled by her actions at that time when he had been the person who dictated how she behaved and dressed.

      “They were the clothes you purchased for your wife to wear.” She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. “And I was your wife.”

      “Bought and paid for?” he asked harshly.

      “Yes of course,” she agreed firmly.

      Rebecca decided she had obviously lost track of this conversation because she did not have a clue what they were talking about.

      Dominic was gazing at her as if she had just told him she was an alien or something equally outrageous and she shook her head in confusion.

      Suddenly, he took a step toward the door and held his hand out toward her seated figure. “All right, let’s go.”

      Rebecca glanced at his outstretched hand then returned her gaze to his face. “Go?” she asked in bewilderment, completely mystified by his abrupt behavior. “Go where?”

      “Home to Solitaire,” he growled in a clipped voice. “Unless you want to have sex here on the floor.”

      Rebecca sucked in a shocked breath. For a moment she was not sure she had heard him correctly. If she was confused before it was nothing compared to how she was feeling now. Her eyes widened in surprise when she suddenly realized he was very angry.

      “I don’t understand,” she cried, her voice a strange mixture of bewilderment and distress. “Dominic?”

      “No, I know you don’t,” he sighed deeply and dropped his hand back to his side.

      He hunkered down in front of her and took her hands in a firm grip, his eyes intent on her face. “What was our bargain Rebecca?” he asked quietly.

      Her brows drew together in a puzzled frown wondering why he had asked such a strange question. He knew the terms of their bargain as well as she did, but she decided to answer him anyway.

      “You wanted a son and heir, but you didn’t want the hassle of a wife and a normal marriage to get one.”

      “And?”

      “And what? she asked, her bewilderment growing the longer this conversation continued. “And our marriage was a business arrangement. I give you your son and in return you pay all Tommy’s expenses for the rest of his life.”